Chapter 3- Eris

3.3

The day after Kyle Kennedy went missing, his chip was tracked to Alyssa’s apartment, disconnected and shattered. The security team went through the last night it was active, finding that he ran into three Voyagers in the apartment.

Luke was called in to review what happened along with Isaac Hampton. They found the chip revealed Kyle agreeing to have his chip disconnected, who the Voyagers were, a fourth name, what they wanted, and a small description of their area.

Kyle agreed to have his chip disconnected after speaking with someone who seemed to be in charge, only the first name Cyrus was known. He had gotten into a confrontation with someone who knew about Dawn and criticized his parenting, which could only be their son. Milo could be heard in the background. A fourth name was mentioned, Elizabeth.

Luke didn’t need an extra moment to think. “Kyle Kennedy, Marshal Kennedy, Milo Neil, Elizabeth Neil, and ‘Cyrus’. There’s five names, but what was said about VE and Elizabeth are contradicting statements. The second man claimed VE was dead, but the same man later on went to say Elizabeth would clear the chip.”

“What makes you so certain that Elizabeth is VE, Mr. Lowell?” Isaac chimed in, not letting Luke continue.

“It’s obvious.” He replied, his voice staying firm. “There’s only one programmer that we know about and to say Elizabeth would have the capability of clearing a chip of ours would infer that she’s the programmer. That, and Lyla Richardson provided me with evidence to the theory before now, this just proves it.” He didn’t wait for Isaac to respond again. “Moving on, they went there for the Onyx Organization booklet provided to new employees, like Alyssa. A comment from Marshal makes me believe that they have it.”

Isaac turned his attention to his assistant. “Send two people back to the apartment to search for the booklet, don’t let anyone leave this building on their own until I say so.” He resumes his conversation with Luke. “You said Lyla Richardson gave you proof to the theory, what proof is that?” The assistant nodded and left the room.

“VE is clearly a pen name, it stands for something. Lyla came up with two possibilities that are extremely likely now that we know she’s involved with the Voyagers. Elizabeth Valerie Neil is her full name, that leaves the possibility of VE standing for Valerie Elizabeth or Voyagers Elizabeth, either way it was probably intended to be as obvious as possible to draw attention away from her.” Isaac let him continue. “The description of the area we got from a second talk with Marshal gave us the description of the area they know best and it fits perfectly with the description we got from the junior agents.”

“Didn’t the junior agents also mention Ethan Rikard?”

Luke nodded. “There’s a sixth. Likely a seventh as well. There’s been mention of three Voyagers roaming the city before Milo escaped which means one of them skipped out on going to the apartment.” He paused. “Does this mean they let Alyssa Kowalska live? There’s no certainty of that, but there’s also no proof of her death.”

Isaac’s assistant returned to the room, straight into another order from Isaac. “Have Lyla Richardson perform some more tests on Leah Neil’s genetics to find a way past her children.”

The assistant left once again. Luke certainly didn’t envy her for having to put up with Isaac for all hours of the day. “There’s a bartender that wanted to meet with me and discuss a run-in with a man he believed to be a Voyager. He’ll be around by noon.”

Isaac nodded. “Very well. Let me know how that goes. I’ll have Anthony announce a silent retirement.” He turned to the man in charge of security. “I want you to look at the tapes from the weddings and find anyone who showed an interest in Milo Neil and Alyssa Kowalska.”

After that, Isaac left to Anthony’s area in headquarters, watching for any slackers while he went.

Truth be told, he was no stranger to betrayal. He’d been betrayed countless times in his life, Kyle was just the latest of many. He had pity for those who crossed him but would never show mercy. Mercy was weakness.

He knew his best way to keep the Voyagers at rest was to keep them from the opportunity at gathering more members, which had failed with Ethan Rikard. Alyssa had likely been forced to join, if she was still alive. Kyle had been manipulated into allowing his chip to be disconnected.

Their numbers were failing, but now the Organization knew of six, possibly seven named Voyagers and one unnamed. The statement of more that Cyrus had provided was likely false.

That all raised the question as to how they got into the city without provoking suspicion, as they’d been known to do before. The last report of a suspicious sighting was the night Ethan Rikard disappeared, an alleged attack on the night Alyssa Kowalska disappeared that was dropped due to a lack of evidence, and nothing yet on the night before when Kyle left.

To pick someone like Kyle showed the group’s desperation. After all, Kyle was approaching his seventies with a difficult time walking, all he had going for him was his intelligence and the deed to a shut down diner. They got lucky with Alyssa, even Isaac had to admit that.

One of his first betrayals came from a man who worked in the sick ward of the Onyx Organization. The job ran in his family, like Isaac’s, and he was the one to inherit it after his older brother contracted something from one of the patients and passed away. The younger brother was named Joseph and he was too weak willed to run the sick ward, refusing to do what the job entailed and kill the patients who couldn’t be cured. Instead, he fell for one of them and ended up sneaking her away after their relationship was discovered. They left in the middle of the night without a trace.

Another betrayal was one composed by Owen Hunt, similar to the one of David Neil. The two weren’t the brightest men and figured their donations to the Organization gave them exemptions from the basic laws, which they never bothered to learn.

Their situations differed in how they were handled. Owen wasn’t dull enough to show up to headquarters after looking through records so Isaac had to send his own people to his house after finding out his true nature. He had his people take out Owen and whoever got in their way, which turned out to be a number of people, most of them were simple servants. Hardly a loss in Isaac’s mind.

Isaac handled David’s situation differently because the two were ‘friends’. He summoned David and his wife to headquarters like he normally would and locked them in the conference room. He let Leah go home to the children the next day but David was executed that day.

Those were just useless losses to Isaac. They didn’t matter to him but they could never be mirrored as he had now shut himself off from ‘friends’ that would use him for his money or his job.

He stopped in front of Anthony’s office, knocking on the door and letting himself in.

Anthony seemed surprised to see him there, but greeted him with a smile, knowing that Isaac preferred to speak first. “Mr. Richardson, I need you to announce the retirement of Kyle Kennedy to the community.”

His smile faded as he rested his arms on his desk. “And is this a silent retirement?” Isaac nodded. “Yes, sir, I’ll get to it immediately.”

“Very good.” Isaac left Anthony’s office and went to his own office.

---

Luke Lowell

By noon, Luke had been sat down to speak with a bartender who claimed that he had a run with a man he believed to be a Voyager. The man was clearly delusional but Luke had been ordered to listen to him.

He seemed fidgety in his movements and nervous. He had a large bruise on the right side on his face and refused to look Luke in the eyes, as many people refused to do.

“You said you came here with a lead, so what is it that you have to say?” Not even a moment after the meeting started Luke had grown tired of the bartender’s act.

He seemed guilty and sighed. “First, I will admit that I was in the wrong. I said a few things I shouldn’t have, but this guy took it way too personal-“

“Don’t waste my time.”

“Right.” The bartender seemed to become embarrassed after being rushed. “The man showed up first with a friend of his, both of them were agents, and they stayed around for around an hour and a half, he paid for the friend but didn’t drink any himself but didn’t tell me why. The friend left after an hour and a half, right before the woman showed up. The woman came into bar and she seemed really anxious for some reason, I made some comments to try and get her lighten up. They took it the wrong way and after arguing with me for a bit, the guy punches me for just talking to his wife.”

Luke had been scanning the bartender the entire time and the story didn’t add up. He was lying about something. “What kind of comments were you making?”

The bartender had no idea he had been scanned because of his refusal to look up. “Just some jokes. I’m pretty sure he thought that I was hitting on her.”

That part was the truth. “Were you hitting on her?”

He sighed and nodded. “Yes, I was.”

Another truth, but he was becoming more nervous as the questions went on. “What were your interactions with the husband?”

“None.” He answered hastily.

That one was a lie and a contradiction to his earlier statement. “You told me earlier that he didn’t tell you why he wasn’t drinking, you’d have to be having a conversation with him to ask about that, right? So, I’m going to ask you one more time before I throw you out of here myself, what were your interactions with the husband?”

“After his friend left, I tried to talk to him and he didn’t seem interested in talking to me. I asked him if he wanted a drink and he said he was recovering from something and that he’d just pay his buddy’s tab if I would leave him alone. I took the offer and when his wife came in I tried to flirt with her. I told her how he paid his buddy’s tab and said that he was broke, offered her a drink, and I’ll admit I got a little upset when she turned me down. I called her desperate and he didn’t take well to it. He got onto me and I tried to diffuse the situation by asking her if this was how he treated her at home.” He pointed to the bruise. “He ended up hitting me after I kept talking to her.”

A scan showed it was all truth, but Luke had to admit that the bartender was a fool. “So you think this man is with the Voyagers for defending his wife and not letting you drag his name through the dirt when you’re the one who runs an illegal business?” Luke scoffed. “Just leave, I’m not spending another moment here.”

Luke got up to leave the conference room, opening the door to find Isaac standing in the other side. “I hope you’ve got all the information you need, I’m sending your team out, effective immediately.”

“Out where?”

“Past the expansion grounds.” He motioned Luke out of the conference room and lowered his voice. “You’re taking the lead from the junior agents, there’s no debate.”

“Sir, what drew you to this decision?”

Isaac seemed confident in his decision and expected Luke to be confident in it as well. “Kyle’s chip gave us all we need to know and Milo revealed more than he thinks. Tell me, you trust Sara Jacobson, right?”

Luke nodded. “Yes sir, she’s been a trusted agent.”

“Not anymore. She’s a detain on sight.” Isaac saw Luke getting ready to question him. “The last day she was here she was on the fourth floor. Cameras in the elevator saw her crying to Milo about Leah Neil and Milo consoling her and telling her to leave using the name Elizabeth while referring to her.”

Luke froze, his body filling with chills. Elizabeth Neil had been right under their noses the whole time. “Another instance of being as obvious as possible to draw attention away.”

Isaac crossed his arms. “Steven Suggs, the man she married. Another detain on sight. Before she came to headquarters, he was talking to Milo and Alyssa and invited them to dinner that same night, she accepted and he left. Milo asked Elizabeth where Marshal Kennedy was and she said he should know because he was already around headquarters.”

Luke shook his head in disbelief. “Send some people to look through the apartment, gather some evidence there.”

"So, we can thank Milo Neil for the knowledge we have and Kyle Kennedy for the final push. Go out to the lead and take no witnesses." An order from Isaac himself couldn't be turned down, no matter where the lead took his people.

---

Eris Duke

Eris has noticed Ethan didn’t actually talk to Marshal while he had the chance, which made her think that he forgot.

She took the job into her own hands when she found out he’d be staying in the lab while Elizabeth was gone this time around. “Why can’t Filip watch over the lab? He normally does.”

“I know, but I don’t think he’s up for it.” Eris could tell there was something Marshal was hiding. “Besides, I think it’s better that more people start to know how to run the lab. We can’t be so reliant on Elizabeth if something happens to her.”

“That was never an issue until today apparently, what’s going on with you?” While she could narrow down her suspicions, because the real person in question was Elizabeth, the possibilities were limitless.

He shrugged. “There’s nothing wrong with me, what’s wrong with you?”

“Are you trying to be suspicious right now?” Eris squinted her eyes, trying to get a reasonable answer.

He shook his head before chuckling. “No, not really.”

The monitors showed exactly what was going on in the bunker. Most of the group had gone to their rooms to get ready for bed, only Joseph, Lecia, Alyssa, and Milo hanging around in the common room after dinner.

A small alert showed up on the screen that Marshal noticed before Eris. What she noticed was the immediate nervous look that crossed his face. “You didn’t see anyone go towards the pantry, did you?”

Eris looked over the monitors again. “No, nobody left their room or the common room. The lights are still off in that area either way.”

A sudden flash came across the screen that carried to the next camera, just breezing by the common room, catching Milo’s attention. Shadows.

“Do you know how to initiate a lock down?”

He nodded. “Yes, but I don’t know how to lift it. The entire bunker will go down and any empty room has a time limit before it’s locked by the system, can’t be opened from the inside or outside. At least until Final Product Four identifies the threat and terminates it, then whoever’s in the lab has to identify a specific command to lift the lock down.”

Eris tried to ease her mind. “Perhaps Elizabeth came back, it’s probably nothing to worry about.”

“That’s not Elizabeth. She’s been in my room for the past few days because she got attacked and she needs to recover. Alyssa mentioned letting the anesthetics wear off after dinner to let her eat later, so I can ask her how to lift it if I can get to her in the time limit.” Despite being as nervous as she’d seen him in a long time, he wasn’t in a panic. “What do you recommend?”

A choice here decided Eris would have Marshal start a lock down and go find Elizabeth.

3.5

Joseph and Eris tried to ease the nerves of the others in the bunker and convince them that Elizabeth and Marshal had just left the bunker and sought shelter somewhere else to keep from being confronted with the intruder.

Alyssa was the first to find suspicions in the thought that the two would leave the bunker for shelter when Elizabeth was injured, but she kept it to herself for Milo and Kyle’s sake.

Most of the bunker calmed down after some reassurance, but Milo and Kyle were easily the most uneasy about the disappearances for a legitimate reason.

Milo had earlier begged Joseph to let him go into the city because he had a feeling the two had been taken there and considered the thought of an intruder to be certain based on his last interaction with Marshal.

Joseph wouldn’t let it happen and Alyssa backed up Milo’s argument but agreed with Joseph on keeping Milo away from the city.

They left consoling Milo up to Alyssa, but Kyle was a different story. He wasn’t sad, he was furious. He wouldn’t say at who or what, but he would admit he was angry and leave it at that.

Joseph had to take over in the lab once it reopened and Pierre confirmed he would be around in the morning, which left Eris, Ethan, Alyssa, Milo, and Kyle awake.

Eris enlisted Ethan’s help with Kyle while Alyssa stayed with Milo.

Neither of the two knew what to say to Kyle at first and waited until he acknowledged them. He took a deep sigh before he spoke, trying to calm himself down. “Do either of you know what it’s like to be separated from someone you’ve been searching for for years on end?”

Ethan nodded, but didn’t seem willing to share the details of it. “I had an older brother who would disappear for days at a time before both of our lives went in a downwards spiral.”

“I can’t say I have any experience losing a child, but I lost my parents at a pretty young age.” Eris knew her voice wasn’t going to go far because she didn’t really know Kyle.

He seemed to review the two before leaning back in his seat. “I wish I could say it was my first time losing a child or a family member, but that’s not true. When Dawn got shot, they reported that she was dead and a child was dead. I didn’t find out for months that the child was unborn, but that told me her motive for running. I never lost hope for finding Marshal in these sixteen years and I knew he was going to be angry with me when we met again.”

Marshal never mentioned a younger sibling and Eris had never talked to Dawn herself, but she found the reasoning to be plausible. Marshal had mentioned an unhappy marriage that had been the same way for twenty years and even he didn’t know why she chose to run that day. “He’s been through a whole mess in those sixteen years, I hate to say.”

Ethan seemed to agree. “I heard a bit about alcoholism, fighting, and gambling. He takes fault in the alcoholism and he’ll admit to it, but he was pretty quick to blame the Neil siblings for the other two.”

Eris chuckled. “There was a rough patch after he worked on recovery and neither him or Milo are too patient, so I can recall a few times they got in verbal fights and even fewer times they got in physical fights. Gambling, well, it wouldn’t be too difficult to believe Elizabeth had a part in that.”

Kyle didn’t seem too relieved with the details, even a little upset. “After those two disappeared, it took all my power to not take up drinking because my own father was an alcoholic. My best guess is that Marshal didn’t know and drew himself into that same path.” He turned his attention to Eris. “He did stop, didn’t he?”

“Yes, he did. It’s been a few years since he admitted he needed help and we all worked with him to ensure a clean recovery.” She paused, battling herself on if she should continue talking. “There was one instance after Milo disappeared that he nearly drank again. He dropped the idea after it turned into a big fight with Elizabeth and that’s the only time I know of him almost drinking again.”

“He mentioned that fight to me.” Ethan chimed in. “He said he’d never seen Elizabeth that mad at him before and she was quick to get personal but neither of them got physical.”

Kyle looked relieved at the details. “Last I knew, he wasn’t used to confrontation because he never interacted with the other kids. There was one time in fifth grade that he got involved with one bad kid. Their relationship was rocky and the other kid would beat up on him for not going along with his plans, so to avoid getting beaten up he would give in to whatever bad ideas this kid had.” Kyle shook his head. “The kid was pretty troubled, in my opinion, and tried to talk Marshal into doing something to his sister. Dawn didn’t let him start school until he fully understood how to be a gentleman and he understood how consent works. Anyways, he didn’t tell me exactly what happened, he just said it went against every rule his mother had taught him and when he tried to say no to this kid, he started pushing him around, then after Marshal fought back the kid backed off and hit him upside the head with a brick while his back was turned.”

Ethan crossed his arms. “My brother got treated the same way a lot of times, mainly because he was never in his right mind to say no. They started messing with him as a kid and it stuck around until he died.” He seemed spiteful. “You would think that the people who played themselves off as his closest friends for years would be upset with his passing, but to them it wasn’t a loss at all.”

Eris could tell that talking about Marshal and Dawn had been calming Kyle down. “If it helps, Marshal never grew out of the typical gentleman manner. I’ve never seen someone be so kind to Elizabeth because she does mess up pretty frequently, I think it’s just easier to put blame on one person instead of the whole group and she’s the only person who won’t fight against it, but he’s taken to defending her most of the time.”

Kyle sighed and offered a kind smile. “Dawn and I had disagreements on how to raise him plenty of times and she decided she’d do it her way since I was never around. He’s not dead yet, so I guess she did a good enough job with that.”

Eris looked over Kyle, trying to determine what Marshal got from him and what he got from Dawn. Kyle’s hair had grayed over, but he shared the same eye color as his son. “I’ve got an odd question for you, what color was your hair when you were younger?”

“Blond. Dawn had the black hair, if that’s what you were trying to find out.” Kyle replaced his slouch, sitting up straight. “She had black hair and blue eyes, I had blond hair and brown eyes, and Marshal took her hair, my eyes, and her dimples.”

Ethan took a look to the clock before he let a yawn escape. “We should probably head to sleep. Pierre’s supposed to come back tomorrow, so that should be a treat for all of us.”

Eris nodded before slowly rising from her seat. “I agree; we should be at our best for when he arrives.”

Kyle and Ethan rose after the fragile blonde woman, the three of them heading to their rooms and clearing the common room.

---

Alyssa Kowalska

Alyssa had taken Milo back to his own room after coming to the conclusion that he and Kyle might see the situation differently. He had taken a seat on the edge of his bed while Alyssa stood guard in front of the door.

It was clear he expected her to leave after she dropped him off, but neither had spoken until Alyssa questioned him. “How are you doing?”

He shrugged. “I.. I’m not really sure. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to express my emotions and I’m not used to it yet.” He now sighed. “I feel like I’m tired, but I know I’m not.”

It was sadness he’d been feeling, he just didn’t know how to put it into words. She thought that dropping a topic that would fuel that sadness would be for the better. “You know, I don’t think I thanked you for helping Kyle and I during the lock down.”

“It’s what I was supposed to do, don’t thank me.” She could tell there was more he wanted to say, so she stayed quiet to allow him to say it. “Alyssa, what was your family like?”

She had to admit, it was one of the questions she didn’t expect at all, but if it made him feel a little better then she would answer. Alyssa looked around the room, her green eyes stopping on the floor. “I didn’t have much of a family. My father left very early on, I had no siblings, and all I had growing up was my mother. She was sick for all I can remember, but she never reported it because she knew what happens in the sick wards. She was a very tough woman but she would never leave another to hurt, despite her own critical condition.”

“Kind of like you, huh?”

Alyssa let out a tearful laugh while her eyes began to cloud up. “I sure hope so. She’s someone I idolized all of my life. I became a doctor to try to help her, but I was too late. She died at home while I was studying.”

Milo gave a sympathetic look before rising from the bed and taking the blanket off, approaching Alyssa and draping it around her shoulders. “Elizabeth used to always tell me that sometimes what she needs is to be warm and for me to shut up and listen to her, I’m hoping you’re the same way.” He led her to the bed and let her sit while he stood. “Tell me whatever you want to tell me, you’ve got my full attention.”

Alyssa gave a shy smile, pulling the blanket to wrap all around her. “Alright, whatever I want to tell you.” She took a moment to think. “I don’t know if you knew what Elizabeth had recovered from my bag the night they brought us here, but it was a picture of my mother and I from when I was younger. You can tell how far back it was by the fact that I was missing my two front teeth and how happy she looked.” Her smile faded and a look of guilt crossed over her face. “I’ve never really told anyone this because it’s considered illegal to withhold information on a sick person, but I always felt guilty to watch her get even more sick.”

She looked up to see that Milo was studying her facial expressions while he listened to her. “I can understand that. I went into the city twenty-two years after my parents disappeared because I felt like I was the reason they were gone and I felt like I owed it to Elizabeth to bring them back, but not to myself.”

Alyssa nodded, trying to let herself calm down. “After so long, I stopped caring about who my father was and started worrying for my mother’s health. In her last few months, she’d become immobile and had trouble breathing, eating, and sleeping. I tried to care for her needs as much as I could, but the one day I decide that I can get out because she’d been fine up until that point, she just.. died.. I was never told how and was immediately threatened for keeping information from the Onyx Organization.”

She stood, the blanket wrapped around her causing her to walk with a slight waddle towards the door. Milo followed her without saying much and opened the door while her hands stayed holding onto the blanket. It felt painful to Alyssa, having to put on a facade so soon after the disappearances and having to deal with the fact that one of the pair was already likely dead. She kept going as long as she could until she nearly collapsed on the ground, Milo catching her before she fell. “Alyssa, are you okay?”

His voice sounded panicked, but her mind was racing to process all of her thoughts. She pushed herself against the wall and slumped down, pulling her knees to her chest and burying her face in the blanket to hide her new tears. “I couldn’t help my mom, I couldn’t find my dad, I couldn’t perform one of the most simple jobs in the Organization, and I couldn’t help Elizabeth. I can’t do this, Milo, not anymore.”

He kneeled on the ground next to her. “You had no control over what happened to your mom or the actions of your father. I know you think you failed the organization and I’m not going to lie, you did fail them, but you already put yourself in a good position for the Voyagers. Had you not failed the Organization, I never would have found Elizabeth and she would have died when she got stabbed, nobody here could have saved her besides you.” He stood back up, pulling her back up off the ground and waiting until she acknowledged him before speaking again. “They said it tons of times in your file, you’re the best at what you do and there’s no doubt about it. I don’t think you failed Elizabeth, I’ve got hopes for her and I’ve got hopes for you. I know that sometimes it seems like the world is out to get you and if it’s not one thing it’s something else, but that’s how everyone in this bunker thinks. Internal issues included, they deal with a lot and they use each other to cope and bounce back, so I’m just going to ask that you use me right now to fix whatever issue you’re having and bounce back.”

She gave a small nod, unsure of the decision. “And how do I do that?”

“You talk about it until it’s off your mind.”

---

Joseph Duke

Pierre had arrived at the bunker in the afternoon with a woman that most people in the bunker wouldn’t recognize besides Pierre himself, Joseph, and Elizabeth.

The woman was Marie Duval, one of the most active resistance members. She was good at what she did, which was working on disguises and uniforms for the resistance members.

Pierre didn’t seem to be in a great mood, but he normally never did. Joseph hadn’t been to sleep since before the lock down occurred, but he was a little afraid to fall asleep in the case that the intruders came back.

It wasn’t a concern exclusive to him, though, all the Voyagers had mentioned the possibility before they went to bed, if they slept at all. Joseph had asked they stayed in their rooms until the morning to avoid any confusion and any risks involved with any intruders.

Pierre and Marie mentioned the possibility as well, along with their plan to move the group if Joseph agreed to it.

They didn’t give him a chance to talk to anyone else about it and required he make an on the spot decision before they addressed the group as a whole.

A choice here decided that Joseph would have the entire group move.

3.7

He nodded for a minute with a heavy feeling gathering in his chest as he told himself that his people wouldn’t agree with his decision. “Okay, we’ll leave.” Joseph was sickened by the words that came out of his own mouth, but it was what the group needed to do. “I’ll tell the group, you two get the details worked out.”

It was clear to him that Marie was getting a reading on him, and it wasn’t a good one. “We’ll get it worked out, but just know that you’re making the right choice.”

He sighed before turning and leaving the room. ’I hope she’s right.’

Stepping into the common room, he immediately gathered the attention of the people in there. It pained him to see them the way they were. Hopeless and terrified by recent events, those were the top feelings shared among the group. Lecia seemed the most composed, but it was clear that she was upset by the recent events. “What’s the plan?”

And like that, anyone who might have been tuned out or focusing on something else gave Joseph their full attention. “We’re leaving. Pierre and Marie are working on a plan right now, the rest of us will get one bag of our own stuff together. Don’t make it too heavy to weigh you down.”

It was just the response he had expected, just from different people. “What about all the people we’ve lost?” Eris spoke up after seeing nobody had seemed happy about the move.

Joseph himself wanted to have hope for all of them, lost and in his presence, but he knew better than to instill false hope. “They’re not coming back. In fact, most of them are probably dead.”

“How could you say that?” Filip responded with shock in his voice. “We’ve lost a lot of people up until this point, I have no doubt that some of them are dead, but there’s no way that a majority or all of them are dead.”

Joseph was losing the crowd before he even had them. “Out of the three most recent losses, I can only expect one of them to be alive. Morgan was lost in the woods, she never made it to Onyx Organization headquarters. Elizabeth was already in critical condition and I’d consider it a miracle if they didn’t take advantage of that. The records also show that Marshal made some bad choices of his own, even going as far as giving up when faced with the intruders.”

Joseph looked to Eris to see her face burning red and her eyes glossing over quickly. “I don’t care if you think it’s more ‘realistic’ that they’d be dead, I don’t care if you think that because Pierre is here then you need to put on some facade, but drop the act, I’m not going to let you sit here and lie to these people about their loved ones. Elizabeth was getting better, Alyssa can tell you that, and Marshal didn’t just give up, we saw the same footage.” She sighed, tears falling as she did so. “I don’t know what you want us to say, I really don’t. Nobody’s going to be happy with this move because we have no answers about our people.”

“I think he’s right…” A tearful Lecia spoke up from Eris’ side. “The best way to keep from losing our people is to keep moving.”

“The best way to keep from losing our people and struggling with the movement is to disband the group and go back to the city.” Cyrus seemed furious with the decision, but he knew to keep his peace. “Is that what you want to do, Lecia? Is that what’s best for you? For Eris? For Morgan?”

Milo was quick to take Cyrus’ side. “Should we remind you that your wife is terminally ill? If we move, there’s a strong chance that we’ll lose someone else, she and Kyle are the most likely as of this moment. They won’t let her live if they get her, you know they’ll kill her as soon as they figure out who she is and nobody can stop that.” He sounded frustrated and Joseph could tell that he was getting angry.

Joseph looked to Kyle and Ethan, the two had sat next to each other. “What are your takes on it?”

Ethan seemed ready to jump on the question. “Milo has a point. They’ll kill any of us because of our involvement with the group.” He looked over to Alyssa. “I can only expect her and Kyle to be publicly executed for treason.”

“You’ll probably be publicly executed too, since you were in charge of the nursing facility.” Filip referred to Joseph. “Anyone else who was involved with the Onyx Organization will probably be publicly executed as well.”

Cyrus scanned the room. “Eris, Lecia, Filip, Alyssa, Kyle, and yourself.” He turned to Joseph, anger still lighting up his eyes. “That’s six lives that you’re willing to risk because Pierre told you to.”

Kyle sighed from his seat, something obviously on his mind. “As a former fourth floor administrator, I can say that once all of the Voyagers surrender or are caught, anyone who was affiliated with them will be executed, publicly or not, it’s a death sentence for everyone.”

“Now that they know where the base is, I wouldn’t be surprised if they come back tonight. Our only hope is the fact that their headquarters are hours from the bunker, but that’s not going to protect us forever.” Alyssa, the only person who hadn’t spoken yet, finally spoken up. It seemed like she was taking Joseph’s side for a moment until he realized she was staying neutral, like Kyle was. “There are alternatives to leaving, but the problem with those alternatives is that the person who made them was so paranoid and secretive that nobody knows how to use them and nobody knows how to read her cryptographic writing to figure it out.”

Lecia shook her head, growing more upset as the conversation went on. “How many of you are really unhappy with this idea and not just taking the opportunity to gang up on Joseph?” She looked around. “I want to see a show of hands. Who here is beyond certain that they’re against the move?”

Eris raised her hand without hesitation, as did Cyrus and Filip. Milo and Ethan raised their hands simultaneously. Kyle was the only one who seemed to hesitate.

Lecia and Alyssa were the only two with their hands down. “Alyssa, what is your stance on the move?” Lecia turned to her as the others put their hands down and turned their attention to Alyssa.

“I have no stance on it.” She folded her hands in her lap, ready for whatever Lecia would have to throw back. “I think moving is best for the group’s chances, but it ruins any chance we have at getting Elizabeth or Marshal back.” She looked to Eris. “Milo was right about Eris and Kyle being the most in danger because they’re slower than the others, as I’ve noticed. Eris is too sick to move again and Kyle is older than the organization typically allows, so they’re both prime candidates for being caught and they’ll both surely be executed without hesitation.” She looked down, some hair that was loose from her ponytail had fallen in front of her face. “I don’t want to lose anybody else.”

“What were the chances of getting either of them back in the first place?” Lecia scoffed. “I think you guys are forgetting that Elizabeth was public enemy number one, they’ll kill her if they haven’t already.”

Kyle shook his head and responded before anyone else got the chance. “They had plans for her and death wasn’t in those plans. When Milo was around, they were using him to lure her so they could chip her and get her to give up all the information she has on the Voyagers. After they got the group, they planned to kill everyone else and have her work in the cyber security division.”

Alyssa nodded, confirming the statement.

Eris had stopped crying by now and had seemed to grow more angry herself. “She would never do that.”

“She wouldn’t have a choice with the chip.” Ethan reminded her.

“It wouldn’t matter either way.” Cyrus interrupted. “She found out what was inside the chips and treated herself and the scouts to small doses of it that would increase daily so we could build up an immunity. Milo built up an immunity after two years, so I think the chip would have no effect on her after four years.”

In a matter of seconds, someone spoke up from behind Joseph. “How many of you have an immunity?”

He turned to see Pierre with Marie trailing a few feet behind him. “Three.”

A smile crossed Pierre’s face for a moment, before he shook it off. “The three of you will scout ahead then.” He took a map from Marie and handed it to Cyrus. “Leave immediately.”

It was clear he expected Cyrus to go ahead and the others to go with him, but none of the three scouts moved. “No, but thanks for the opportunity.”

Cyrus reached around Pierre and handed the map back to Marie.

Joseph could tell Pierre wanted to snap right there, but he wasn’t going to because Marie was there. It was clear Cyrus knew that as well. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the location we’re in and scouting ahead is a waste of time, therefore I won’t be scouting ahead for you.”

The others looked on in shock. Cyrus would have never disobeyed an order from Pierre or Joseph, even having a difficult time going against Elizabeth’s word. “What gives you the authority to make this decision?”

“The same hierarchy I’ve learned to hate. Joseph is the leader of this group, Elizabeth is considered the second hand because she’s in charge of security, then it goes to the leader of the scouts, that’s me.” Cyrus crossed his arms. “After Elizabeth’s disappearance, I’m put in the second hand position and I’m not sending my scouts out on a suicide mission.”

Pierre looked shocked for a quick minute before regaining his usual deadpan look. “That will be fine.” He looked back to the group. “All of you, go pack your belongings. There will be no more discussion on leaving.” After nobody moved, Pierre snapped at them. “Get moving!”

The group separated, each of them going to their own rooms to start packing. Joseph didn’t get the chance to talk to Eris afterwards since Pierre had ordered him to go into the lab and collect whatever Elizabeth left and gather a bag of both her and Marshal’s belongings. Filip stopped by the lab to help Joseph after he got his own stuff ready.

He could tell that Filip was still upset with him and avoided conversation for that reason. Filip had taken the bag from the lab up to the truck to let Joseph get to Marshal’s room faster.

Going into Marshal’s room, he found that Milo, Kyle, and Alyssa were each in there, all of them working on different bags. None of them would speak to him either, which didn’t surprise him.

He caught a glare from Alyssa, but it wasn’t the same hateful one the other group members were giving him, it was a sympathetic one. He noticed she was working on a bag of medical supplies. She rose after collecting what she need from the room, putting her hand on Milo’s shoulder for a moment. “I’m going to the lab to get what’s left in there.”

Milo looked to Joseph after Alyssa had left. “Kyle and I can handle Elizabeth and Marshal’s stuff, please just go.”

Kyle hadn’t said a word to him, but the look on his face spoke unbelievable sadness.

Joseph left at Milo’s request and went to his own room to start packing his stuff, knowing that Eris wouldn’t do it. The marriage between the two had been shattering beneath them for years now. It made Joseph feel like he had to tread on ice like any fight they had could be the final straw.

She seemed angry, but sad at the same time. “I don’t know how we’re going to keep this up…”

Her voice was so quiet that he would have missed it if he wasn’t listening for it. “What do you mean?”

They were working on their separate bags on opposite sides of the room. “I mean I don’t know who you are anymore. Even after everything the group had to say, you tossed their opinions and facts to the curb when Pierre showed up. You’re even willing to risk the entire group at his command. Why is that?”

She looked to him with pleading eyes, like she was begging him to give her a reason to stay with him. “Because I think it’s right for the group.”

“You and one other person. Pierre himself didn’t give a reason for the move and that’s why I think he’s giving up on the group, you’re letting him give up and giving up on us yourself.” He couldn’t quite tell if he meant ‘us’ as in the group or their marriage, both of which things he hadn’t given up on.

“What do you want me to say, Eris?”

Her blue eyes started glossing over once more as she zipped up her bag. “I want you to tell Pierre we’re not leaving and talk him into letting us stay, at least until we get Elizabeth and Marshal back.”

She was trying not to raise her voice, that was evident. “I can’t do that. Those two aren’t coming back and neither is anyone else, you and the others need to understand and accept that. All we have are the people that are still with us.”

She pulled the bag off the bed and walked to the door, stopping there. “No matter how hard I try, I can’t convince myself that this move is for the good.” She sighed. “I’ll see you upstairs.”

With that, she left the room and shut the door behind her.

She left the bunker and handed her bag to Pierre, who eyed her with suspicion. “Where is Joseph?”

She shrugged, looking over the group. Lecia, Cyrus, Filip, Milo, Alyssa, Kyle, Ethan, Pierre, Marie, and herself were all there. Everyone but Joseph. “Still getting ready.”

Pierre put her bag with the others before attempting to go back into the bunker, only to be stopped when Joseph left. “Now’s not the time to waste time, start moving. Cyrus, take the truck with Pierre. Filip, you stay up front with Marie. Milo, stay towards the back with me.”

Most of the group was thrown off by Joseph’s shift in attitude, but they followed his orders either way.

It was only after Cyrus had turned on the headlights and starting driving away that Eris realized it was incredibly foggy outside and not just her eyesight.

“Are you sure it’s safe to go right now?” Alyssa was the first to question the decision after they started walking. It was already dark by the time they’d finished their talk inside and packing their things, which was another problem for the entire group.

“Don’t question me on this decision again, I’m not answering anymore questions about it. You all need to accept that it’s happening and move along.” Joseph ordered from the back, obviously tired of hearing the same question.

Eris, Joseph, Milo, and Kyle had stayed towards the back, the fog being so heavy that they could hardly see each other despite being feet away. “It was just a question, Joseph, what’s going on with you?”

“Just as I said, I’m done with questions. From now on, things are going to be different to avoid another intrusion. It starts with less questions from all of you and less orders from Elizabeth or Cyrus, is that clear?”

“About as clear as this fog.” Lecia commented. “Eris, what’s going on with him?”

Eris sighed, continuing her walk. “Don’t ask me.”

The silence started at that moment and only ended when Milo started pushing Eris and Kyle along around ten minutes later. “Hurry up.” His voice was a panicked whisper. “We’re being followed.”

“You need to tell Joseph.” Kyle commented, both he and Eris trying to keep up with Milo.

“I’m not entirely sure he’s still with us and I don’t want to risk slowing you guys down in the case that he’s not.”

“How can you not be sure?” Kyle sounded a little disappointed with the confession.

It was probably easiest for Milo to not be sure, as his sight had always been better than his hearing. “Nobody’s speaking and I can’t see a thing, it’s difficult to keep track of them if they’re trying to stay as quiet as possible in this fog.”

Before she got the chance to respond, she was pulled back by somebody in the fog. They covered her mouth the second she was pulled close enough, the shock being the main reason she hadn’t said anything beforehand.

She didn’t know who was near her or where they were, but she knew they didn’t see her get pulled away because of the fog and they didn’t know she was pulled back because she hadn’t spoken for a while now.

As her attacker continued to pull her back, she knew she had a brief moment to act.

A choice here decided Eris would try to grab somebody.

3.9

The group agreed to start at the diner the next day, partially in fear of Isaac’s response if they didn’t and partially in fear of being separated from each other.

Eris had thought that Elizabeth exaggerated a bit on the overall busyness of the place, but she quickly realized that there was going to be no chance of a break. The rush of it all made her feel a little bad that Marshal had been left alone the day before, but he said it wasn’t anything to worry about and he had it handled.

The diner was in nice condition. The entire place had recently been cleaned and the walls looked like they had just been painted over and the tiles on the floor redone.

Elizabeth had instructed Joseph to help Marshal in the kitchen and Ethan to help her with orders. She was unsure of what to task Eris with, so she told her to do whatever she felt needed to be done and to act busy whenever Organization members came through.

She helped Ethan and Elizabeth through the first half of the day and moved towards the kitchen after noon hit and the lunch rush started. Marshal seemed stressed after Eris stepped in, which made her think he was a bit overwhelmed. She wanted to talk to him about it, but after the shift in attitude that Elizabeth had, she wasn’t so sure he would be the same person she knew. “Hey, you holding up okay?”

“Perfectly fine.” As Eris got closer, he turned away from her. It made her realize that she hadn’t actually seen his face since she’d been there. Even when they talked the night before, he’d tried to keep busy around the apartment, often avoiding the group’s vision.

She sidled up to Joseph and lowered her voice. “Have you talked to him at all today?”
He shook his head. “He’s been instructing me on whatever comes through, but we haven’t had a conversation yet.”

They heard a sigh across the kitchen before the sound of something hitting a cutting board took over. “I haven’t been talking because there’s no time to do anything before there’s another order coming through. Those two are just as busy as us, they haven’t even had time to sit down yet.” He stopped chopping what he had in his hand and moved to the stove. “Eris, can you keep chopping?”

She moved to the cutting board and worked on what Marshal had started. “You two seem different now.”

She caught an accusatory glare from him before he returned to his task. “We’ve had to adapt to living and working here. It’s been stressful, but we’ve both been making it more difficult than it has to be.”

“Why have you been making difficult on yourselves?” Joseph questioned from the other side of the kitchen.

“Because if they see us struggling or hurting, they’ll leave us alone. They want to ruin us and by seeing us in such a miserable state, they think they’re getting their way and they don’t need to make any changes.”

Joseph stopped his task to walk to Marshal’s side. “That explains your bruises then, right?”

Eris stopped chopping and stood on Marshal’s left, giving him no way of escaping the talk. “Not necessarily. Someone from Onyx did cause them, but by the rules they’ve laid out for us, I deserved it.”

“Rules?” Ethan’s voice spoke from the doorway.

Marshal nodded. “We’ve got a specific set of rules that we have to follow to keep from being chipped. One slip up and that’s it. It’s different for the both of us, though, so it wouldn’t surprise me if it was different for you guys as well.”

By the time the three looked back to the door, Ethan had already disappeared. Joseph turned his attention back to what his biggest priority was. “You may have caused them, but who gave you the bruises?”

“Believe it or not, I got most of them before we were a mile from the bunker.” He paused, a growing look of concern on his face. “There was a woman who was with Luke when he first came around. I’m not sure if she was trying to manipulate us or something, but she always said she hated how the two of us were treated and offer us a few bits of information under the table. She comes in daily, well she used to, I haven’t seen her today.”

Eris thought of the day before and the woman who had come around. “There was a woman around yesterday, what’s the name of the one you’re looking for?”

“Mallory.” He could tell by the look on her face that something had happened. “Who did it?”

Eris and Joseph shared a look of uncertainty before Eris narrowed down her options. “I don’t have a certain answer, but I have my suspects…”

A choice here decided Eris would accuse Ethan of the murder.

---

Chelsea Hampton

The September afternoon she had arrived, Chelsea had gotten word that her father had left for Vatican City, giving her an all clear to act on her own will. She had gone to a third floor apartment that files claimed the person she was looking for lived in.

She gave the door a strong knock, as a word of warning to whoever was inside, letting them know that she meant business.
After a moment of silence, she banged on the door again, somebody in the apartment next door opening their door. “Are you trying to break the door down or let them know you’re there?” The man spoke in a rather rude tone.

Chelsea sighed, keeping her eyes on the neighbor. “Are they home or not?”
He shook his head. “They normally aren’t. They run the diner on Fourth, so you’d have better luck finding them there.”

She turned towards the stairs and passed by the man, giving him a nod as she went. “Thank you for the information.”

The walk to Fourth was close to thirty minutes and probably a walk made easier in the early morning or late night, since many cars didn’t allow walkers to go before them.
Going into the diner, she knew it was going to be difficult to get someone alone. The place was full and the waiter and waitress were all over the room.

The waiter noticed her arrival first and went to her with a menu. “Take a seat anywhere you like, one of us will hopefully be with you soon.”

Chelsea watched the waiter go to the waitress and whisper something to her, then caught her looking over her shoulder as she made her way to an empty booth.

She had started to doze off after a bit, the cozy aura of the diner soothing her. She had started to think they had forgotten about her after some time had passed. She began packing her stuff with a sigh until someone slid into her view.

A different waitress than the one from earlier now stood in front of Chelsea, a notepad in her hands and smile fixed on her face. “I apologize for the wait, we’re still working out a little bump in the road with staffing.” Her bright smile faded to a shyer one. “We figured we would need less people, but running the floor makes me think we’re going to need more.”

“How many people do you have working right now?” Chelsea knew that some of the workers lived together, based on the neighbor’s comment.

The waitress was a petite woman, much like Chelsea, with light blonde hair that was pulled back into a bun and blue eyes a few shades lighter than Chelsea. “Five people.” She chuckled, the brighter smile from earlier returning to her. “It was only two at a time before, which was crazy to think about.”

“And do you all live together?”

Chelsea’s question was greeted with a bit of shock. “Yeah… We all live together, how’d you know that?”

Looking around the diner, Chelsea noticed that both the waiter and the waitress had both been replaced for the moment. “I had a quick chat with your neighbor.” A wave of frustration crossed Chelsea. “I came here looking for a woman named Elizabeth, is she here right now?”

The waitress nodded hesitantly before lowering the notepad in her hands. “She’s in the back, one minute please.”

She went across the diner, leaning into the kitchen and talking to someone that Chelsea couldn’t see. Chelsea couldn’t really make out what she was saying, but she noticed her nod a few times and raise her hands in a defensive manner before she seemed to start arguing with whoever she was talking to.

After a minute, she turned out of the kitchen and took a deep breath, flattening her apron with her hands before going to another table.

Chelsea watched the kitchen door for what felt like an eternity, the chatter of other customers drowning in silence. The world went still until another woman walked out of the kitchen and started heading Chelsea’s way.

She couldn’t help but be a little nervous, knowing she could get every answer she needed right then or nothing at all.
The woman wore a similar outfit to the other waitress. A black knee-length skirt with a white shirt tucked in, the only difference between the two being the blonde woman had an apron while the other one didn’t.

She forced a smile as she greeted Chelsea with an extended hand. Chelsea shook her hand and must have looked confused, as it seemed to provoke a comment from the woman. “My name is Elizabeth, I was told you were asking for me. How can I help you?”

Chelsea looked over her for a minute, gathering the details she could. The look on her face told Chelsea that she was exhausted and would rather not be there at the moment. Her appearance wasn’t one she expected of a Voyager in the slightest. She was clean and kept her hair appropriately tame, which looked difficult for the curls Chelsea could see. “I had a few questions for you about an email you sent me.”

Her smile faded and she folded her hands in front of her. “An email? What do you mean?”

Chelsea glared at her with a frown coming on her face. “You sent an email with classified Onyx Organization information to me and I’d like to know why you did it.”

Elizabeth seemed to mull over a thought for a moment before her eyes lit up. “Are you Chelsea Hampton?”

The question worried Chelsea for a minute, making her wonder how the woman couldn’t know who she sent the email to. “How many people did you send classified information to?”

“Only you.” A smile came across her face again. “I would have thought that the system’s commands would counteract each other and prevent the email from sending, but this is great news!”

“What are you talking about?”

Elizabeth looked over the diner before frowning. “I can’t tell you right now and I especially can’t tell you here. There are things even the Voyagers don’t know and I don’t intend to spill all my secrets because someone heard something they shouldn’t have.”

“What time do you get off?” Chelsea surprised herself with her own determination, but it was a feeling she could get used to.

She shrugged in response. “It’s Friday, right?” Chelsea nods. “Then after ten.”

“I’ll be waiting behind the diner at ten.” Chelsea gathered her belongings before pointing at Elizabeth. “Do not let me down.”

---

Brent Russo

“I expect you all the have your partners by Monday at the latest, consider this extension your lucky breaks.” Their science teacher’s voice rang out as she prepared for class to be dismissed. She looked to the clock before stepping behind her desk. “Have a safe weekend.”

The bell rang and the students jumped out of their seats almost in perfect sequence. They started filing out of the classroom, most people going to the courtyard to meet up with their friends and talk about plans for the weekend.

Brent usually met with Elias in the classroom since they had the same last class, but once everyone had scattered from the room, Brent realized he was the last one there.

“Mr. Russo, that was the bell.” The science teacher spoke up.

Looking over, Brent saw she already had all of her things in hand, a key pulled out, and a stressed look on her face as she waited in front of the door. “Was it?”

The students in the academy had had the same teachers since they were in their first year, so the teachers could read them like books. “I’m sorry you missed Elias, Brent, but I’ve got grading to do once I get home.”

Brent grabbed his bag and sighed, heading towards the door. “Sorry Mrs. Olane…”

They left the room, Brent going to the courtyard to see if Elias might have gotten mixed up in the crowd, which had happened to the both of them before.

Looking around the courtyard, Brent saw a cluster of black, red, and white from all the uniforms. He spotted a familiar backpack on a boy with curly brown hair and jogged down the stairs, sprinting after him. “Elias!”
The boy stopped and turned back, waiting for Brent to catch up. “What took you so long?”

“I figured we were meeting in the classroom like we always do. Why are you in a rush?” Brent reached in his pocket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, putting them on just as the two of them walked out of the shade.

“Stella invited me to the premiere of her latest movie, I need to get ready.”

Brent stopped in his tracks. “The movie? Elias, you still don’t have a partner for the science project and you haven’t got anything planned for it.”

“So?”

Brent started walking again to catch up. “June Lee doesn’t have a partner, but she can get you the grade you need.”

“I don’t need any grade, Brent, don’t be dramatic.” A smirk came over Elias.

“I’ve seen your grades, man. If you don’t pass this project, you’re going to fail the class and your parents are going to snap on you.” The two walked to the edge of school grounds before stopping. “Your dad isn’t messing around anymore, we both know this.”

His smirk faded before he crossed his arms. He didn’t respond, but Brent knew he was getting to him.

“Go to the movies with Stella, but you need to pick a partner by tomorrow.”

---

Chelsea Hampton

Chelsea found her way back to the diner after ten and slid into the alley behind the place, trying to keep from grabbing an unnecessary attention.

Half past ten, the back door opened and Elizabeth joined her in the alley. “It was my night to clean up, I would have been here on time if it wasn’t.” She locked the back door and spun on her heel to face Chelsea. “Alright, what is it you want?”

“I already told you about it earlier, but I’ve got more questions for you.” Chelsea couldn’t tell if Elizabeth was here to help or if she was here to get some answers of her own. “How did you manage to form a fake identity without getting caught?”

“I can’t tell you that.” She paused. “Unless you tell me how you’ve managed to stay unchipped since you’ve been here.”

They were both there for answers, but for now Chelsea had the upper hand. “My dad isn’t around to order I be chipped yet. That’s why I can here for answers.”

She nodded. “We picked up identities of actual agents who gave up on their jobs. Their records would be manipulated to fit our descriptions and their chips would be destroyed.”

“What about what’s inside the chip?”

Chelsea could tell Elizabeth had enough questions that they could go back and forth all they wanted to. “How did you convince Georgie Kenny to remove your chip?”

“I let him know there’s a difference in the substances for the chips they used and the chips Onyx uses. Your turn.”

“We collected the substances inside the chips and selected a few and injected smaller doses that gradually got greater every time to-“

Chelsea cut her off. “Build an immunity…” Chelsea turned and started walking out of the alley. “I need you to come with me to the apartments, get your people, and meet me at headquarters.”

“Why?” Elizabeth questioned, but followed her anyways.

Chelsea debated on keeping it a secret for the time being, but decided if she was going to gain Elizabeth’s trust, she would need to tell her the truth. Chelsea stopped and looked around, lowering her voice to a whisper when Elizabeth stopped next to her. “I need you to help me build an immunity so I can remember what I learn and keep my own conscience.”

Elizabeth responded with a look of shock. “You’re kidding me, right? When does your dad get back?” She started pacing. “Never mind, there’s no way you can build up an immunity in a matter of days, it might kill you before you make any progress. How would we even get the substance?”

Chelsea moved to stop Elizabeth. “You’re either with me or against me on this. Keep in mind, I’m a very powerful ally to have and one of the worst enemies you can make. This is your last chance, will you help me or not?”

She knew there was no real option and that she had to help Chelsea. She made the mistake of telling her about the immunities and identities, now she had to find a way to keep Chelsea from telling. “I’ll help, but I’m not administering it.”

Chelsea turned to start walking to their destination, Elizabeth following behind her. “That’s a weird condition, why not?”

“I nearly died last time I got involved in a situation similar to this. Regardless of what the others will tell you, I’ve learned my lesson.”

Chelsea pointed to her cheek. “Is that where the scar came from?”

She nodded but seemed to flinch before she spoke. “It’s where both scars came from. It’s a shame Cyrus isn’t here, he had a real nasty bruise from it.”

“You realize you just gave up a name to an Organization member, right?”

“Of course I do.” She seemed a little offended. “They already know about Cyrus, Milo, and obviously everyone they have here.”

After they got closer to headquarters, Elizabeth started distancing herself to go to the apartments.

They split up, Chelsea waiting for her and her people in front of headquarters for about ten minutes until five people left the apartment Elizabeth went into, her, the waitress, and the waiter being three of them.

The two new men introduced themselves before allowing Chelsea to go over her plan.
“I can get us into nearly any room in headquarters, but I need at least one of you to know where we’re going. I need someone to keep on watch and at worst, someone to pose a distraction.”

The group looked over each other before they collectively turned to Elizabeth. She looked over them with a sour look on her face. “They’re only volunteering me so I can take blame if something goes wrong. Three of you, I can understand, but I believe Marshal and I need to have a talk when we get home.”

Chelsea stayed quite, waiting for someone else to expand on what Elizabeth said so she could decipher the relations between the group. Eris cracked a small smile before putting a hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder. “I think Ethan’s the only one who can reasonably blame you.”

Elizabeth scoffed and crossed her arms. “I’ll listen when you tell me why my husband is willing to let me make these types of decisions when he knows what goes on in my head.”

Chelsea saw a look cross Marshal’s face before he nodded. “She’s right, there’s a lot of weird things going on in there.” He kept on before she could respond. “If nobody wants to make the decision then I will. We’ve got enough people that we can double up on something. Eris and Ethan should keep watch since Eris can’t do much and Ethan has nothing to lose. Joseph should stay with them and pose a distraction if he needs to. Elizabeth and I know headquarters pretty well, so we’ll help Chelsea out.”

Chelsea looked over them to see that they were all in agreement. “Then let’s get going.”
They went into headquarters, which was empty, using Chelsea’s eyes to get through a retina scanner that was used as an alternative to a key. Splitting up, Chelsea, Elizabeth, and Marshal went further into the building while the rest stayed in the lobby.
Elizabeth led them, staying quiet as she studied each door she passed.

“Chelsea, why do you want to do this?” Marshal broke the silence between the two of them, but he didn’t seem too worried about being in headquarters.

Chelsea’s current focus was an immunity, but if she wanted what she really transferred for, she needed to earn the trust of the Voyagers and keep it. “I don’t know when my father is returning, but I have so much more to learn about before my mind is wiped. I can’t just give up my life without answers.”

He stayed silent for a moment before Chelsea caught a glare from him. She could tell he was already suspicious of him. “That’s respectable. What answers are you looking for?”

“Just some questions for my father and some other people from the Organization.” She turned to him, trying to keep from raising his suspicions anymore. “Why do you ask?”

“Nobody really enlists the enemy’s help when they’re looking for answers from their own people, especially their father.” He seemed to lighten up before putting his hands in his pockets. “I wouldn’t know, though. I’ve never been close with my father and I’m not a father, so I can’t say our situations are anywhere remotely similar.”

Elizabeth sighed from up ahead. “If I have to tell you one more time to go easy on your dad, I’m going to set you up in an unfortunate situation where you have to bond with him.”

A look of guilt crossed over Marshal’s face. He lowered his voice as he kept walking, letting Elizabeth get farther ahead. “David died before she was four, so she doesn’t remember her dad at all. If your father has anything to look it for, it’s her. Consider that a fair warning for the both of you.”

The name seemed familiar, David. “How old is she now?”

“Twenty-seven in a little over a month.”

David had died over twenty-four years ago, which was before Chelsea was born. “How do I know that name?” Her mind starting blurring and her vision started hazing, but she felt perfectly fine.

“Pardon me?” Marshal’s response snapped Chelsea back to the current.

Chelsea looked around, the hallway was as clear as it was before she started thinking hard on the name. “I was thinking out loud, I guess.”

Elizabeth stopped in front of a door that had another retina scanner, but she looked upset now. She didn’t say anything as Chelsea unlocked the door and quickly located the substance. She transferred a bit into a plastic bag to keep from unsettling any scientists the next day.

They left the lab in silence and held onto that silence until the reached closer to the lobby. Elizabeth had stopped in front of another retina scanner and looked to Chelsea. “The security system is behind this door. If you’ll get us in, I can clear the camera feed and retina records. If time is on our side, I might be able to modify your chip too.”

Chelsea got the door open without a question and Elizabeth immediately got to work. Marshal looked at a nearby table that had labeled chips on it. “How are you going to modify her chip?”

“Most chips have a certain phrase that’s quite outlandish or person who’s rarely around that can bypass the chip’s effects until the phrase is said again or the person is out of sight. I can modify hers to bypass whenever she sees Ethan at the diner.” She looked over the table herself before returning to the monitors. “It should have already been programmed, so I won’t need to worry about somebody discovering my work or reworking it.”

“Why Ethan?” Chelsea felt the question might have an obvious answer, but she needed to hear it from Elizabeth herself.

“Because he’s a waiter, he’s always and will always be on the main floor.”

“Aren’t you a waitress?”

Elizabeth seemed to grow nervous. “For a few more months, but you missed me today, remember? There’s no assurance I’ll always be there.”

Marshal gave her the same suspicious look he gave Chelsea earlier. “Do you have a plan at the end of those few more months?”

“Yeah, maternity leave. I think as my husband, my boss, and the father, you can get behind that idea.” While she gave a smile, Chelsea could sense that Elizabeth was more nervous than she’d been the entire time they’d been in headquarters.

Marshal quickly left the room without a word leaving the two women there. Chelsea wasn’t too bothered by it, as there was nothing to tell her they needed to be worried about. “Were you being serious?”

“As serious as I could be.” Elizabeth now returned to working on the computer. “The day Eris, Joseph, and Ethan had showed up, I had a doctor’s appointment to get some advice on timing and get a check-up. We tried to put that advice to use for five months with no results. It was a little discouraging, but Marshal convinced me not to give up on it.”

Chelsea leaned on the doorway. “When did you find out?”

“Two or three weeks ago.” She chuckled. “I didn’t really know how to tell him, so I guess I owe you thanks for giving me the opportunity to do it tonight.”

“It’s not exactly what I’m here for, but Im glad I could be of use.” Chelsea moved to the table that held the chips and picked up the one that had her name above it, taking it to Elizabeth’s side at the computer. “How do you think he’s taking it?”

“That’s a great question.” Elizabeth took the chip from Chelsea and placed it next to the computer, moving some wires around before she hooked a small wire into the computer and the chip. “I know he would have rather me told him when it was just the two of us and probably anywhere that’s not here, but I think he’s taking it well. He’s all talk, Chelsea, I promise. I’ve noticed you seem a little uneasy around him and it’s probably based on the way he talks to you or the looks he gives, but he’s always on alert, that’s just who he is. He doesn’t have anything against you and if he didn’t want to help you then he wouldn’t have shown up. Same goes for the rest of them. We were all taught to watch out for the world and sneak up on the world when it’s not looking.”

“The world was taught that you were the enemies and you needed to be killed, so I can’t say I blame you for not being direct in your goals.”

Elizabeth stopped responding as she narrowed her eyes, focusing on something on the computer screen.

After a few moments of silence, she unplugged the chip and returned everything to the way it was, dropping the chip in its place as she headed for the door. “We’ve got less than five minutes until the cameras resume their normal function.”

They went into the lobby only to find Ethan on his own, a small look of concern on his face. “Did everything go alright back there?” Elizabeth nods in response. “Then why did Marshal come through on his own? Joseph and Eris went after him.”

Chelsea looked to Elizabeth and quickly picked up on the fact that she didn’t want to tell the whole group just yet. “We sent him back to the apartment for something, turns out we didn’t need it.”

The three of them went to the apartment, Elizabeth stopping Chelsea after Ethan went in. “Thanks for covering for me. To answer your question from earlier, the name is familiar to you because our fathers were very close friends.”

Elizabeth handed the bag from the lab to Chelsea and went in the apartment with Chelsea a few feet behind her. “Wait, I want to do this tonight. For all I know, he’ll be back tomorrow and I can’t wait another day.”

The five gathered in the apartment looked over each other, none of them saying anything until Joseph had shut the door. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Chelsea handed the bag to Joseph. “You were in charge of the sick, right? You can do this.”

Joseph took the bag hesitantly, looking to Eris for an answer on whether he should do it or not. She gives a quick nod and Joseph sighed. “Okay, let’s do this. Marshal, find something that you can tie around her arm that’ll make it easier to find her veins. Elizabeth, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that you know where I can find a needle. Eris, help her get comfortable.” He points to Ethan. “Stay on guard.”

They all scattered the apartment, each of them doing what they were told. Eris got Chelsea settled on a loveseat next to the bed that had been pulled out of the sofa, giving her a pillow and blanket. Marshal returned soon after that and adjusted a belt to the function of a tourniquet. Elizabeth and Joseph stayed by Chelsea’s side while Ethan watched over the whole room.

Elizabeth noticed a look Chelsea gave the needle and took her hand, getting her attention. “Don’t look at it, look at me, talk to me.”

Chelsea gave an unsure nod as she focused her attention on Elizabeth. “What’s it going to do to me?”

“It’s just going to be a pinch. It should make you feel a little hazy for a few hours, then you’ll be back to normal. We’re going to keep an eye on you until you reach that normal.”

Chelsea reached into her pocket with her free hand and pulled out a pair of keys. “My bags are in my rental downstairs.” She passed the keys off to Elizabeth and felt her body stiffen when a gloved hand wrapped around her arm.

Before she could turn to look, someone else had wrapped their hands around her head, preventing her from turning. “I know you want to know what’s going on, but it’s for the better that you keep from scaring yourself.” It was Eris.

The pinch that Elizabeth had mentioned happened as soon as Eris finished talking. Eris let go of Chelsea’s head, allowing her to turn to find the needle out of her arm and Joseph removing the belt from her arm. “Is it over?”

Elizabeth let go of Chelsea’s hand, giving the keys to Ethan. “It’s done, you did good. Ethan and I are going to get your stuff, but we’ll be back.”

The two left the apartment while Marshal kept an eye on Chelsea and checked her physical and vocal responses by having her move and continuing to talk.

She noticed a concerned look come over Marshal as her own words started to jumble into one word and the apartment closed in on her. “Chelsea, you need to sit down.”

Taking the command, Chelsea went to sit down as someone reached out to her and called for Joseph when she collapsed on the ground.

“Joseph, what did you do?!” Eris questioned as Marshal moved Chelsea back to the loveseat.

Joseph ignored the question and rushed to Chelsea’s side. He felt for a pulse, finding one was still there. Weak, but there. “Don’t immediately place blame on me. It’s been four years since we first got our hands on their stuff, there’s no doubt they’ve changed something.”

Elizabeth and Ethan returned with Chelsea’s things, quickly dropping them when they saw the condition she was in. “What happened?”

“She just collapsed.”

Chelsea’s world had gone dark. Cold. Quiet. Empty.

It had been empty long before that night, but she had found a little hope once she realized how close she was to getting answers about Luke.

Now she would never know.

Chelsea opened her eyes to a bright blue sky without a cloud in sight.

She slowly sat up to find herself in a grass field, a small structure nearby.

Pushing herself off the ground, she stumbled towards the structure.

For once in countless years, she felt at peace while she walked through the grassy field. She was barefoot, but hadn’t yet stepped on any rocks or broken bottles.
As she reached the structure, she placed her hand on one of the support beams to catch her breath.

She turned at the sound of someone moving behind her and saw the back of a woman with long blonde hair. She wore a peach colored dress that went down to her ankles, her feet also bare. “Hello?”

The woman turned, a bright smile on her face. “Chelsea, you’re not supposed to be here. Not yet, dear.”

As the woman came closer, her brown eyes met Chelsea’s blue eyes. It was then Chelsea knew who she was looking at. “Mom? Where am I?”

Karen’s big smile turned into a softer one as she approached her daughter with arms wide open. “You can’t stay too long, dear, you’ve got a crowd waiting for you.”

Chelsea ran into her mother’s arms, burying her face in her mother’s shoulder. “I think I messed up.”

She felt a hand running through her hair as her mother held her closer. “You haven’t yet. Your choices so far have brought you here, but you’ve made some amazing choices. Your new friends are already working on helping you.”

Chelsea felt tears running down her face as she held onto Karen. “If I go back, will I find what I came home for?”

Her mother gave a soft laugh. “I can’t tell the future, Chels, but if you stay on the same path with the same people, you’ll find what you desire in no time. You know, you’re a lot like me and I think that always upset your father. It was bad enough having one woman so determined that she lost her life for what she was searching for, now he’s got another.”

“Does he know I’m home again?”

“That I don’t know.” Karen pulled away from the hug and looked Chelsea in the eyes, a smile forming on her face once again. “Chelsea, look up at the sky.”

Chelsea looked up at her mother’s command. “What should I be looking for?”

“Nothing right now, but that’s where I’ll be watching you when you go back.” Chelsea looked back to her mother, who was still looking at the sky. “You’ve chosen your investigation team. They’re going to expect things from you as you expect from them, they’re going to communicate with you as you communicate with them. I know your father always told you they were the rats of Onyx, but my only request is you let them help you find what you desire and help them find what they desire. They’ll care for you just as I did, if you let them, of course.”

Karen looked back to Chelsea, a sad look in her brown eyes but a smile still on her face. “Should I really trust them?”

“Treat them as your friends and they’ll treat you as their family.” Karen lowered her hands to her sides. “They’ll accept you, but it won’t come without punishment. Your father will accept you, but that also won’t come without punishment. Spend time with the group and spend time with your father to decide what’s best for you.” Karen pulled Chelsea into her arm. “It’s getting too late, they’ve already tried bringing you back for well over an hour now.”

“Mom-“

“You’re running out of time, my love. You and I can spend eternity together when it is your time to go, but that’s not right now.” Karen pulled away again and placed a kiss on Chelsea’s forehead. “I’m very proud of the strong woman you’ve become.”

Chelsea began walking away from the structure, back the way she came from. She felt her mother watching her as she went. She turned and started running back to Karen, only stopped when she ran into her arms one last time. “I love you…”

She felt the air around her getting cold. “And I love you, my dear, but you must get going.”

Chelsea pulled away from Karen and started running down the path she came from.

It took her into some trees the caused the world around her to get dark as she went.

The deeper into the trees she went, the less she felt.

Her world was greeted by darkness once more.

Her numb body regained feeling at the feeling of somebody pushing down on her chest.

She couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, but she hoped that they were going to save her.

The Voyagers didn’t need to keep Chelsea alive, they had no use for her alive and would be better off if she were dead, but she needed the information they had.

She forced her eyes open to see a brown blur, the pressure on her chest continuing.

She looked down and the pressure stopped.

In a matter of seconds, she was surrounded and had two pairs of hands all over her. “Her pulse is back, breathing is slow but it’s better than nothing, eyes are open.” A hand snapped their fingers in front of her. “No response yet.” A pair of hands pulled her up to sit. Marshal got on eye level with her and started studying her. “Breathe in through your nose, out from your mouth.” Chelsea nodded and started doing as he said. “She’s slowly responding now.”

“What happened?”

“We nearly lost you right there. After you collapsed, you stopped breathing.” Chelsea looked around, noticing the panicked looks on the Voyagers surrounding her. “Joseph had to give you CPR, but I’m pretty sure it saved your life. How are you feeling?”

She had to think on it for a moment, nothing coming to her head. “Sick.”

He nodded and looked around. “Joseph, Elizabeth, help me with her.” The three worked to move her to the bedroom and Marshal took a minute to explain why they did it. “Your body is in bad condition right now and you could easily overheat because of what you took. One way to prevent overheating is to remove clothes that you don’t need. Elizabeth’s going to stay here with you and we’re going to check in from time to time, okay?” She nods in response, Marshal quickly turning to Elizabeth. “Do not let her go to sleep and make sure she stays on her side.”

After Marshal and Joseph left, Elizabeth let Chelsea do what she needed to while staying in line with the orders she had been given. The two of them talked for a few hours before Joseph checked in with them again.

Chelsea didn’t mention what she saw and what she was told before she was brought back in fear of it putting too much pressure on Elizabeth, even though she didn’t know what to say on the topic herself.

Joseph did the same tests on her that Marshal did when she first returned. He told Elizabeth she wasn’t ready to go back out and left the room. He returned with Marshal another hour later and they both did the tests, both of them agreeing she could get put whatever she wanted to on and go back into the living room. They left with Elizabeth to allow Chelsea some privacy.

She got dressed and left the bedroom, looking around at the faces staring at her. “If it isn’t Lindsey Brigman herself.” Ethan commented from his seat. “How’re you doing?”

“Not dead, so that’s an improvement.” Chelsea sat down, wincing at a pain in her sides as she did. “I feel like something’s broken, though.”

“Maybe not broken but fractured.” Ethan shrugged. “Eris didn’t let herself or Elizabeth get involved with the CPR because she figured it was better off letting Joseph and Marshal handle it since they were the ones around when you hit the ground and they’re the closest thing to a doctor you’re going to get.”

“How long was I out?”

“Nearly three hours.” Ethan crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat. “Your breathing stopped not long after you hit the ground and your heart was barely kept around by the compressions. It went out when Joseph and Marshal switched but started back up after some more compressions.”

“What caused it?”

“We don’t really know for sure, but Joseph has a feeling he might have accidentally given you too much.”

Chelsea felt a frown go over her face. “But that doesn’t make sense. The chip probably has more than what Joseph gave me inside it and it’s not killing anybody.”

“I wouldn’t say that’s the case. The chips do have more than what Joseph gave you, but they’re designed to go through at a set pace, never all at once.” Chelsea did her best to look over the back of the love seat to talk with Elizabeth, but she could tell she was only going to hurt herself the more she tried.

Before she had a chance to respond to Elizabeth, the others had come into the living room. Joseph and Marshal started talking to Chelsea, she figured it was to test her responses.

Eris waited until after their testing to say anything. “We have about thirty minutes until we open, so we should probably get going.”

“Someone should stay with Chelsea. She’s not capable of going anywhere and she not stable enough to be alone.” Ethan chimed in from his seat. “I’m not volunteering, though.”

“I think Joseph and Marshal are the two most qualified to stay here. They’ve been taking care of her since it happened, it’s best not to shake anything up.” Eris responded, withdrawing herself from the options.

“The problem is, none of us have been to sleep for an entire day now. I’m not psyched about working another sixteen hours on top of that, but it’s what we have to do. The choice of who stays should be left up to Chelsea, but whoever stays needs to stay awake and be with her.” Joseph added.

Chelsea looked over her three options. She knew the most about Elizabeth and she did feel bad for making her stay up the entire night when she’s the one who needed rest the most, but she didn’t know how much medical knowledge she held. Joseph was once the head of the sick ward, but the entire night and Chelsea’s own near-death was caused by an accident on his part. Marshal seemed to know some stuff about medical knowledge, but Chelsea still couldn’t figure him out.

Chelsea chuckled, which immediately turned into a sharp pain on her ribs. “So you guys decided for me that I’m staying here?”

Elizabeth nodded. “You do know some of our deeper secrets, we can’t just let you go away with that knowledge. I’m kidding, you’re staying here because we know you have no place to go and you got hurt because of us. It’s the least we can do.”

A choice here decided Chelsea would ask Joseph to stay.